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A comparison of the structural integrity of steam generator tubes based on deterministic and probabilistic crack acceptance criteria

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Abstract

The structural integrity of steam generator tubes containing crack-like flaws can be assessed based on crack acceptance criteria. Plastic collapse is the dominant failure mode of steam generator tubes since a very high fracture toughness is usually found in the tube materials. Thus, the plastic limit load analysis is the main crack acceptance criterion. However, a weak effect of elastic-plastic fracture may take place in some materials. This weak effect can be taken in account when using the failure assessment diagram, in which linear elastic fracture mechanics and plastic collapse are treated as two extreme failure modes. The current trend in the safety assessment of structures containing cracks is to consider the uncertainty of structural parameters. In such a way, a remarkable result of this work was the evaluation of the structural reliability of steam generator tubes based on the failure assessment diagram for advanced alloys. A case study was used to compare deterministic and probabilistic results from the plastic limit load analysis and the failure assessment diagram, considering the alloys 600, 690, and 800, and varying the operating pressure and crack geometry. In all analyses, the failure probability based on the failure assessment diagram presented the less conservative value. The alloy 690 was the best material choice for continuous operation of cracked SG tubes.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the“Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior”(CAPES, Brazil) - Finance Code 001 which Granted the M.Sc. graduate scholarship to Thais M. W. Ouverney. L. P. Moreira acknowledges “Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico” (CNPq, Brazil) for the PQ2 research Grant 30G141/2019-1 and “Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro” (FAPERJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) for the APQ1 research Grant E-26/010.001858/2015.

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  1. Escola de Engenharia Industrial Metalúrgica de Volta Redonda, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Av. dos Trabalhadores, 420, Volta Redonda, RJ, CEP 27255-125, Brazil

    A. S. Francisco, T. M. W. Ouverney & L. P. Moreira

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  1. A. S. Francisco
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  2. T. M. W. Ouverney
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  3. L. P. Moreira
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Correspondence to A. S. Francisco.

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Francisco, A.S., Ouverney, T.M.W. & Moreira, L.P. A comparison of the structural integrity of steam generator tubes based on deterministic and probabilistic crack acceptance criteria. J Braz. Soc. Mech. Sci. Eng. 44, 74 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40430-022-03380-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40430-022-03380-7

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